Parko departs with final ‘Big Australia’ spruik

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Former Treasury head, and outgoing Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Dr Martin Parkinson, delivered his valedictory speech yesterday, which included one final immigration spruik:

Valuing diversity as something inherently Australian should increasingly be seen as a strength of this country and a comparative advantage in the region in which we live…

What we cannot allow to happen here in Australia is the kind of retreat from openness and vilification of differences that we are seeing overseas… Our diverse multicultural society gives us unparalleled advantages in our region…

There are really only two choices for this country: We can take pride in our diversity and use it as an advantage when interacting with the world, or we can hunker down behind borders and slowly gnaw at each other. Again, to their credit, our parliamentary leaders have maintained a remarkable commitment to an open economy and social cohesion, despite immense pressures the other way.

While subtle, Dr Parkinson has clearly taken a shot at those wanting lower immigration. The ‘diversity’ of open borders and endless migration, so beloved to politicians and top officials, is apparently the righteous path, even if the majority of people they are supposed to serve oppose it.

About the author
Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.